Overpopulation

Human overpopulation is the state in which the earth can no longer produce the number of resources required to sustain the human population. Overpopulation occurs for a variety of reasons, including the decline in mortality rates, improved medical facilities and technological advancements, and the depletion of essential resources. In 1804, the world reached a population of one billion, and just two hundred years later, the world population reached 6.43 billion. As of October 2021, our world population is at 7.9 billion.

Click here to view the current global population.

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World Population Growth - Source: Our World in Data

Overpopulation causes an increase in demands for food, water, employment, housing, healthcare, and more. These demands put pressure on the environment, leading to deforestation, biodiversity loss and climate change. Furthermore, overpopulation leads to higher levels of poverty, resulting in malnutrition and disease, especially in children. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, from 2017-2050, half of the global population is expected to stem from India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, the United States of America, Uganda and Indonesia. Additionally, the World Economic Forum states that seventy-seven percent of the total African population is below the age of thirty-five, and the urban population in Africa is expected to triple by 2050. Through the lack of education, water scarcity, food insecurity and an overall stunted economic growth, overpopulation significantly affects the developing world.

Overpopulation in Africa - Source: Financial Times

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